May 18, 2005

Quinny Freestyle 3 and 4 in Wal-Mart Fire Sale

DT reader Steven spotted Quinny's mainstay model, the Freestyle, for sale in an unexpected place: Wal-Mart.com. How did a famously Europe-only brand end up in that American-est of stores? Turns out Quinny had attempted a US launch until last year, when they pulled back, and the remaining inventory has been since showing up in various discount stores.

And so they're online at Wal-Mart for just $159, which is about 30-40% less than their European street price. Before you get all Buzz- and Zapp-happy, consider that the Freestyle is from the homelier branch of the Quinny family tree; it's what Quinny looked like before they decided to get all Bugaboo'd up. Still, they're solid strollers, with unique tilt-steering front wheels (or wheel, in the case of the Freestyle 3), and big air-filled tires that give a smoother ride than any plastic.

For this money and this traditional style, I'd also take a look at the Graco Quattro Tour, which has pretty sweet lines (underneath all the tacked on canopies and diaper bags). The Jeeps are comparable, too, but they may be too plasticky compared to the Freestyle.

57 Comments

I have this stroller. Bought it off eBay for about $140. We love it. While it's not a light, compact mall stroller you can toss in your trunk, it is durable and comfortable for every day use on tough terrain (grass, gravel, curbs, etc.) If anyone wants more information feel free to email me.

I was going to post the exact same comment as Xdm! I love this stroller! I have the Freestyle 4 and I love that the seat is reversable, so my guy can face me while I'm pushing the stroller. Now, it doesn't have the clean lines of some of the new Euro strollers, but it is very impressive-looking nonetheless.

Speaking of... Target.com carries Offi furniture now as well. Apparently, judging from the 2 reviews of the tiki benches, the customers seem to think they make great shower stools. I haven't noticed too much of a price difference between them and other sites yet.

I'm glad I didn't see this 2 months ago. We actually planned to get one of those ungainly Graco monstrosities from Target, but we soon realized that a decent jogging stroller really isn't much bigger than the usual 4-wheeled plastic-clad stroller.

Enter the Bob 'Revolution' stroller. Big, air filled tires. Aluminum frame for light weight (just 22 lbs), awsome canopy, dual shock suspension with 2 firmness settings, and the front wheel can be locked straight for running, or set to swivel for close-quarters operation. It even has a decent sized under-seat storage space.

The one gripe on the Bob? They make you pay an additional $20 for the fabric cupholder/zippered pouch 'console'.

Hey steve the seat you asked about for a second child{toddler} will fit any freestyle 4 don't belive it will work with the 3 though will try to find you the link for someone that ships this to the states! Yup once again Imporing Quinny stroller stuff. Sigh! an endless search!

Actually, the second seat only works with the 2005 Quinny 4XL. The ones that were shipped to the states when they tried to enter the market are all last year's. I asked this specifically when ordering mine and was told no, it can't be rigged for two kids like the one on the Quinny web site. (I was bummed too.)

Hi Sam, I was told that by the eBay seller who was trying to get rid of a bunch. I did a bit of homework online and found some info corroborating. I think on the 2005 model the extra seat is practically the price of a new stroller. I was hoping to move the existing seat up and do the Maxi-Cosi car seat on the back. Please let me know if you learn different. I'd love to make it work on mine.

I just recently saw Walmart online offering the Quinny Freestyle. I experienced intense shock at the low price of $159.

Seriously, it runs around 329 EUROS ($400+) here on the Continent! Sure, that's adding 16-18% VAT (Tax)into the price. But WOW, either ALL the European stores are in Cahoots for extreme profits--it's a second class product-- or Walmart is seriously price gouging. I'd believe the 1st & 3rd reason in tandem ;)

I've tried it out in the stores. It's an excellent stroller IF you do a lot of outdoor walking and expect to fill your trunk with it. It's large & heavy. Still, it's awesome seeing kids all bundled up in winter cosily experiencing Christmas markets and the outdoors. Those large buggys are popular here despite small sidewalks & doorframes. Go figure.

I purchased the Quinny Speedi in January after frustration with an ancient Peg Perego. It's much more practical than the Freestyle. Ligherweight, easily maneuverable, & carries a lot! I love it. It's a bit bulky in close areas, but easily folds down & wheels pop off. My 6'4 husband doesn't hunch or catch his feet on the wheels. I had to modify it for my lean daughter (sew up the crotch strap, gather the shoulder straps up, & use a cotton pad so she wouldn't slide around.) I could rave on & on about the better stroller this is over my old Evenflo & Graco & Instep, but I won't :)

For those of you wanting to purchase Quinny products... I believe they even ship Stateside
http://www.babycare.nl/
Has excellent customer service and I've used them to send here in Germany.
hth someone out.
tchuss!

Does anyone know if the Quinny at Walmart reclines to a fully horizontal position to allow for newborns to lay flat? Is it car seat adaptable? I am very eager to take advantage of this good deal, but there is not alot of info on the Walmart website.
Please help.

I just purchased the Freestyle 3XL from Walmart and am pretty impressed with it. We are planning a trip to Hawaii and I was hoping to find a stoller bag for it. Any suggestions? All the ones I can find are too small.
Thank you!

Can anyone tell me how much the Quinny 4XL actually weighs? We are wanting ONE stroller for both "jogging" and mall walking, etc...can this really handle both? I've looked at a thousand strollers lately and truthfully the U.S. strollers suck! ;)

Does anyone know where to get any accessories for the Quinny 4XL? I seen the carrycot and footmuff on the Quinny website but I live in Canada.
Also, I bought the stroller, not the travel system, do you know if they sell the quinny car seat seperately? (if I can't get a carrycot in Canada) Thanks

I bought a Quinny Freestyle 4XL on ebay...and wish wish wish I could adapt it for a newborn - it would be perfect! Mine did not come with the adapter kit (even though it looks like the right slots are there to accept it) and when I spoke to Cosco, they said this model was built in the US and does not have any accessories for car seats or the dreami bassinet-thing. Has anyone experienced something different? Is it worth going through the expense of ordering a dreami from Europe and trying to find an adapater? Thanks! Has anyone found the adapter sold separately? I wish I could make this work...

Great blog everyone, very helpful as we're expecting our first in a couple of months... Quick question though, we're debating buying the Quinny Freestyle 4 travel system from Sears (C$479) but really like the positive comments (and available colours) about the maxi-cosi seats available in the UK...

Has anyone had any experience with the freestyle travel system, or thoughts about the freestyle vs. buzz in snowy weather / sidewalks, etc. The freestyle looks better suited; however, the buzz seems less "bulky"...

Finally a good site with answers to some questions. I have been researching quinnys. Really want the Buzz but want the car seat. It appears to be only in Europe...however, the buzz and freestyle 4 sold here in Canada come with the adapters for the car seat. Does anyone know anything about this Maxi cosi seat? the seat that comes with the Freestyle 4 is from Cosco and something totally different. For those who asked, it is not sold seperately.There are no available car seats by Quinny here in Canada (other than the one that comes with the Freestyle 4 travel system.
P.S. Just bought the Zapp and love it.

I just purchased the quinny 4 xl from e-bay. what a monster, but has a great ride. I was disappointed that it advertised multi-position recline seat and the most it reclines is 30 degrees. It is a 2003 model and was wondering if the one at walmart was a newer model with a better recline. Not great for a baby under age 1. thanks

Hi, just spoke with Cosco concerning the quinny I bought on e-bay. I was confused on the product date and these are this years model and not 2003, the date on the box was 05 23 03. The only recline difference is on the models in Europe. Which from what I understand is the only models, according to this customer service agent, that have car seat adapters available seperately. You can also purchase replacement parts from Cosco at 1(800)544-1108. I think that to make the seat more comfortabe I am going to buy a sheep skin car seat cover from Costco and cut it to size. It should be cheaper than buying the buntings that I have seen. I hope this information helps someone who has had the same questions that I've had.

I just bought the 4xl on ebay. I assume that this is also a 2005 model.
Has anyone had luck with finding a parent console that fit? What is the latest word on the carseat adaptation? (US)
Kiddopatamus makes a nice reversible stroller insert that fits with out having to struggle with pulling the straps through.they also make a nice stroller cozy for those of you in colder climes.
I am rather confused regarding the relationship between dorel/cosco/quinny / maxi-cosi. any help?

[Dorel is the parent company of all of the others. Cosco is in the US, Quinny is in the UK/EU. Maxi-Cosi is based in NL, but is the EU/non-NA carseat division of Dorel. -ed.]

Hi I've just purchased the Quinny 4 XL on E-Bay and have been trying to find out- can an adapter be purchased to accomodate a second seat as the 4 XL Plus can? I am not sure of the model year I am getting, but do some of these 4 XL's come already adaptable for the second seat? And has anyone found a chaper source for ordering the second child seat? Has anyone found a cup holder for the dad that works well on this handle bar? Thanks!!

Hi, I am waiting for my quinny freestyle 4 stroller from walmart.com. I am english and I have one of the infant maxi-cosi carseats that is compatible with this stroller but now find out that the stoller is being sold without the adaptors. The only help I can offer is that the stoller is made by Dorel Juvinelle Inc and I have emailed them for assistance in finding the adaptors in the usa. I have also emailed maxi-cosi and Dorel in Canada and will post my findings. Good Luck from Samantha

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen, I very happy to pass on that this morning I purchased the carseat adaptors to the Quinny freestyle stroller. The helpful staff at www.dorel.co.uk emailed me back with a UK number to call to make an telephone order. Here's the problem though, they don't ship parts out of the UK. Dorel.com should take care of parts in the US but unfortunately I'm still waiting to hear from them and I'm not holding my breath if you know what I mean! The service engineer at Dorel UK told me that Dorel parts are the same US or UK but you do need a compatible infant carseat. I'm sure there are postal services that provide this kind of service when companys will not ship overseas. The cost of the adaptors was about $17 which I thought was great and another $5 to ship within the UK. There UK telephone number is 01842 763281. I hope this helps or at least gives you the knowledge that Dorel.com have these adaptors. Good Luck Samantha

I too have purchased a Quinny Freestyle 3XL from Sears.ca last week and after doing some research ordered a Maxi-Cosi carseat from the UK before realising that neither came with the adaptors to attach them together, I assumed one of them would. In the UK the Quinny strollers all come with them automatically.

After calling Sears and then 3 frustrating calls with Dorel Customer Service (1-800-544-1108), I was told they won't order the carseat adaptors. I called the Dorel Canadian Head Office and spoke to a very helpful sales woman there and she advised me that because the carseats are not approved in Canada, they felt there is no need to bring them in. She advised I order them from the UK Dorel distributor, telephone number 01842 763281.

Don't get me wrong, I love the stroller and carseat, but factoring-in all of the time spent on research, international phonecalls, ordering from the UK, exchange rates, shipping, and $45 duty on the carseat, plus who knows how much and what it will take to get the car seat adaptors, it will have cost me minimum $750 all-in.

If I knew what I know now, I would wait until the carseat is approved (if ever) and only one company is importing the whole package!

Bridget, British Columbia, Canada

[yeah, that's a tough call. We knew that we'd have to order our M-C adapters separately for the Bugaboo, and I felt like they cost a fortune, too, especially when they arrived, and they're just these little plastic things. -ed.]

Bridget, if you are still checking this site...I too just bought a a Quinny Freestyle 4 travel system that was from Sears...I purchased it from an auction because someone had stolen the car seat adaptor bar, however, they are normally sold with the package...I called the Dorel 1-800-544-1108 number and they had no problem shipping me the part FOR FREE. All these comments about not fitting together and not being approved in Canada are confusing me.

I purchased the Freestyle 3XL which is a 3-wheeler jogging-type stroller, and I believe your model, the Freestyle 4 Travelsystem is a 4-wheeler that comes with a carseat & adaptor as a full set. My problem is the carseat called the "Maxi-Cosi Cabrio" which is compatible to the 3XL is only sold separately from Europe and has not yet been approved in North America (obviously because they're not selling them here). So therefore I can't get the special adaptors for the 3 wheeler.

No worries for you Carrie, your Freestyle 4 Travelsystem is completely approved!

I contacted Dorel in Canada,,,They do not offer the 4xl Freestyle infant seat...they said it s not approved with proper safety.But if you all go to www.sears.ca you can see the quinny travel system offered by Sears in Canada....It s very expensive but from what I can see the infant seat fits on the bar that was shipped with Stroller...I m not sure what adaptors may be needed...I m gonna try some Infant seats that may fit the barin the US...I ve gone crazy looking for the Infant seat...If anyone goes to Canada...buy a bunch of them....Item # 323 866 943 10. www.sears.ca...Good Luck!! Nicole

Hi!
I was thinking of purchasing the Quinny Freestyle 3XL for my husband from walmart. I was wondering if anyone knows if it can hols the dreami carrycot? Also any info you have regarding the one from walmart would be nice!

Hi everyone!!!
I too purchaed the Quinny 4XL from Walmart. I had called up Walmart's customer service to make sure the stroller took the extra seat. They had no clue as to what I was talking about. Needless to say I purchased the stroller anyway. I would LOVE to make this stroller work with the two seat. First question, is this at all possible? And if so where can I purchase the second seat??
Thanks!!!!!!!
Theo
P.S.-I would love to but the Quinny zapp as well, any good prices out there?

Does anyone know the part number for the adapter, and or the part number for the system. They insist that it won''t work on the stand alone stroller, but I'm convinced that it will. They will probably sell it to mee if I have the appropriate partnumbers.

Hi, I recently purchased a quinny freestyle from ebay (UK) and it came with the adaptor set which I have no need for. If anyone would like them then I can post them to you (I assume they are compatible with US carseat), for postage costs

Hi,
I bought a Quinny Freestyle 4XL off ebay 2 years ago and when I got pregnant with my third I bought a Quinny Dreami off German ebay (I am German) with adapters for 70 Euros and my mom brought it over. It fit perfectly on my stroller with the adapters and makes a beautiful pram.
I am even thinking of getting the 3XL as well since the frame of the 4XL is very heavy and HUGE...that way I can have one in the car and one for walks and i just have to transfer the carry cot.
The 4XL is definitely a big and heavy stroller. I don't think it's that great for day to day use unless you live in the city and walk a lot. But hauling it in and out of the car is a pain and it's HUGE...

Hey Everyone,
I just recently bought a Quinny Freestyle 4 Travel System from a local auction here in BC, Canada. My problem is that there is no manual as to how you install the car seat base into your vehicle. Does anyone know either how this is done properly or where I can get a manual?? I want to make sure I install it correctly and it looks as though there are a couple ways to do this!!! Nothing is ever simple when it comes to these things!
Thanks a bunch everyone!
Jamie (first time Mommy!)

I am trying to decide between the Walmart Freestyel 3 or 4. Could some tell me the differences other than # of tires? Do they weigh the same and fold to similar size? Do you need to remove the tires to put it in the trunk? Does the Freestyle 3 allow you to change direction? You feedback is much appreciated.

For those of you looking for Quinny & Maxi-Cosi product manuals, technical specs, pictures, etc., the website for each company is:
www.quinny.com and www.maxi-cosi.com

One word of advice when purchasing the Freestyle 3XL, avoid light colours (we bought yellow) because as soon as you use it and then fold it up, the front tire leaves nasty dirty smudges on the inside front of the canopy.

Does anyone know whether the car seat for the freestyle 4 (I have the travel system)is a maxi-cosi cabrio?? Its does'nt look like the ones i've seen online. I just bought the zapp because the freestyle is so heavy and i'm travelling lots this summer.
Has anyone tried to put the car seat that comes with the freestyle onto a zapp frame? Can it be done? I am hoping so, little one is too small for the zapp right now and I don't want to buy a cabrio just to fit! He's almost out of the car seat that came with the travel system at 3 1/2 months!

I overcame the lack of storage on the Freestyle 4 by adding a Jolly Jumper stroller caddy. I found it at Winners (here in Canada) for $9.99. The stoller caddy straps across the handlebar and has room for two drinks, a zippper compartment for a wallet, and a pouch for cell phones and keys. It definately made a difference to the freestyle 4.

I stumbled across this site whilst looking for adaptors for my quinny freestyle. I just cannot comprehend the US prices for items compared with the UK prices - I need a shopping trip over there to stock up on some great deals !!!!!
I love the jolly jumper stroller caddy and will find out if they will ship to the uk.
If there is anything I can help you with email
madcarchristine@aol.com and I will try to help as have both the zapp and freestyle.

hi. i have a quinny freestyle 4 frame but struggling to get adaptors to fit a maxicosi citi car seat on the frame. a ny suggestions where i could get them. Have tried the UK suppliers but unfortunatly they dont sell the adaptors for this model anymore.

I have a freestyle 4xl that I purchased in the US in 2003. Model01-981pdk. I was told that a dreami carrycot would fit the frame. So, I purchased the carrycot, and it came with buzz adapters. However, the buzz adapters are too wide for the stroller. Does anyone know what adapters might fit this?

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